Our Culture and Policy

The Pollination Project is committed to expanding compassion consciousness to create a better world for all beings. Our values and ethics apply equally to our mission and to the people in our organization. 

Our goal is that our team feels continuously supported, renewed, and alive in their work; our policies are designed with intention to create the causes and conditions for this to be true. By sharing this information, we give partners and donors greater insight into how we operate and offer models for other nonprofits to learn from our successes and failures. If our policies resonate with you, please feel free to adapt them to your organization.

 

Raquel Kasham Daniel, Founder of Beyond the Classroom Foundation

Our Policies

Transparency: Because we are committed to transparency, all of our policies and intentions are explicitly listed in our organization culture documents.

Whistleblowers: TPP recognizes the important part Whistleblowers play in our society. Our Whistleblower Policy covers every TPP team member: staff, contractors, interns, and volunteers without fear of retribution or retaliation. 

Team Included in Process: No internal policy or procedure is finalized until the whole team has had the chance to review and make comments/suggestions.

Buy-In: Our staff, contractors, and Board of Directors annually review this document to make sure they still reflect the values and priorities of the organization.

                                                                                                                                   

Oversight

Our Executive Director is not a member of the Board of Directors.

Board Members are publicly listed.

Autonomy

Setting Own Work Hours: We recognize that our staff are people first and foremost. We trust our team to know what they need to do to get their job done. All TPP staff are remote and work hours that suit them and their lives best. All team members operate a shareable calendar so we can see when our colleagues are online and so that we can schedule meetings easier.

Pay and Leave

Unlimited PTO: We believe in a true work-life balance. TPP operates an unlimited PTO policy, with a minimum of two weeks’ vacation and at least five (5) of those days must be taken consecutively. If any staff member is feeling overwhelmed, they are allowed to take time away from work, and we will work with them to reprioritize to make things more manageable. Supervisors will also raise the issue if they are worried about a team member’s stress levels, personal life issues, etc. to ensure the team knows they must take care of themselves and their loved ones before work.

No Work Expected in Non-Work Hours: We recognize that our staff has different work hours as we are located all over the world and we are accommodating of time zones. Communication may occur during non-work time; however, we encourage and expect that our staff will set boundaries when they are “out of office,” at night, on weekends, and on leave. 

Paid Holidays: TPP is closed on all federal holidays, which are paid time off for all employees and contractors.

Communication With and Within the Team

As a team we recognize that relationships are the foundation of a healthy culture. What we do is important and how we do it is equally, if not more, important. Together we arrived at these covenants for our communication together.

  • address the issue, not the person.
  • talk to (not about) each other.
  • be self-reflective.
  • practice empathy.
  • solutionize.
  • give feedback with kindness.
  • receive feedback in the same spirit.
  • don’t take things personally.
  • assume best intentions.
  • remain positive and optimistic.
  • communicate when we need help.
  • value each other’s wellbeing.

Consistent Feedback: Each team member meets with their supervisor weekly to discuss accomplishments, things to work on, and upcoming goals. 

Welcoming Different Perspectives: TPP believes that when everyone is welcome to the table and willing to share their experiences and opinions, we are able to accomplish more. We actively encourage everyone, including volunteers and interns, to voice any concerns or comments about anything and everything — and we truly mean that! 

Raising Topics for Team Discussion: We have a weekly Team meeting where anyone can add to the agenda, discuss internal and external work, and raise any questions or concerns

Encouraging Learning: Anyone on the team may request training and/or additional assistance with any part of our work, their job, or our systems, either with their name attached or anonymously. 

Transparency: The team uses Monday.com as a project management tool to keep other staff members, contractors, and volunteers informed about the status of work projects. Anyone can view these updates. 

Communication Through Slack: TPP uses Slack to exchange work-related information as well as to share fun things like vacation photos, pictures of our children and pets, and great vegan recipes. We get to know each other as individuals, rather than just colleagues. 

Growth and Development

Wellness Allotment: Each staff member is allocated $100 per month for mind/body wellness; this might look like a massage, yoga classes, or anything else that is part of a personal wellness practice.

Training Funds Allotment: Each staff member is currently allocated $300 annually for training, conferences, or other development opportunities. TPP will continue to grow this allocation as our budget grows.

Training Requests: Team members may request training or assistance with any of our software systems, our policies, and procedures at TPP. They may ask explicitly or they may submit anonymous requests.

                                                                                                             

Listening to the TPP Team

Welcoming Feedback: We take direction from our team — whether they are former or current members. TPP conducts annual team satisfaction surveys and everyone is invited to participate: volunteers, interns, contractors, and staff. We take the negative feedback or suggestions for improvement just as seriously as we take the compliments. We see this as one way of making TPP better for our future selves and our future team members. 

Recognizing Individuality: During the onboarding process, each team member is asked how they best learn and how they prefer to communicate. We also ask them to tell us about themselves as human beings (favorite film/book, favorite snack, their superpower, etc.).